Apologies for the less than stellar lighting. This was my biggest print so far, just under 18"x 18"! I’m really happy with the details, but printing something this big was definitely a learning experience for me. It took 3 attempts to get this image out, but I learned a lot about tubing management and maintaining chemistry I can think about while I sand down my previous botched attempts :D
No worries, it’s very niche! In titanium means I’m “printing” an anodization (protective oxide layer) on a titanium surface. Titanium and Niobium have a unique property the oxide layer that forms on their surfaces is transparent, and extremely thin (think <1000 nanometers). The colors come from the incoming light constructively and destructively interfering in that oxide layer, so there are no pigments or dyes used in the process.
Oh, so this is a lot like traditional photography? Do you use an enlarger to create an “exposure”? This sounds cool, but I’m having trouble finding anything on the Internet related to this. Any resources you can share?
It is somewhat closer to traditional photography, but it’s using an electrochemical process to create the colors. I’m so sorry I can’t tell you more details right now, I’ll quote my comment on details below. Once I file a patent on this I’ll make a detailed post here on my process. Assuming it even gets granted I intend to make it free for individuals (but not corporations) to use.